The Lean Christmas

By: Edna
Weisser

While
everyone is still saddened and devastated by the havoc brought by
supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) to central Philippines, I find myself livid
at what happened. I am angry in the middle of the Advent Season, a special
time I normally set aside to reflect on life‘s blessings and burdens
during the past twelve months. December is a good month to take stock of
one‘s batting average during the past year.

In
honor of those who perished from the typhoon and in consideration of the
survivors still struggling for basic needs, we decided to scale down our
Christmas celebration this year.

Having
said that, scaling down on the celebration and giving typhoon donation do
not diminish my vitriol. My anger is directed towards industrialized
countries and multinationals that have no scruples when it comes to their
respective carbon emissions that cause global warming. Haiyan is not going
to be the first and last supertyphoon in this world. On the contrary. When
the oceans continue to heat up as a result of global warming, these
typhoons with wind gusts of 300 kph will continue to sprout from our
oceans and hit land with apocalyptic magnitudes. With Haiyan, the world
entered a new dimension of calamities with long-term recovery periods.
Haiyan penetrated the Mach 1 of typhoons. From here on, it will just be
mega typhoons and nothing less.

Listed
below are terminologies, definitions and web sites that provide good
sources of information on fossil fuel, carbon emissions, global warming,
climate risks and renewable energy. We need to understand what these
terminologies and processes are in order to take action, individually or
collectively. We also need to start conversations about these issues.
Climatewise, it is no longer five to 12:00. It is five after 12:00.

Global
Climate Risk Index.
Who suffers most from extreme weather events? This year's 8th edition of
the analysis reconfirms that less developed countries are generally more
affected than industrialised countries, according to the Climate Risk
Index. With regard to future climate change, the Climate Risk Index can
serve as a warning signal indicating past vulnerability which may further
increase in regions where extreme events will become more frequent or more
severe through climate change. While some vulnerable developing countries
are frequently hit by extreme events, there are also some where such
disasters are a rarity. Source:
http://germanwatch.org/de/5696

Fossil
Fuel. Fossil fuels
are the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, contributing 3/4 of
all carbon, methane and other greenhouse gas emissions. Burning coal,
petroleum and other fossil fuels at extremely high temperatures
(combustion) is the primary means by which electricity is produced, but
also leads to heavy concentrations of pollutants in our air and water.
Source:
http://www.greenenergychoice.com/green-guide/fossil-fuels.html

Government
Subsidies. This
web site explains why governments subsidize the mining of fossil fuel.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24833153
Just think, governments use taxpayers‘ money to encourage the production
of carbon emission. Find out if your government uses your tax money for
these types of subsidies.

Global
Carbon Project.
The GPC was established in 2001 in recognition of the large scientific
challenges and critical nature of the carbon cycle for Earth's
sustainability. The scientific goal of the project is to develop a
complete picture of the global carbon cycle, including both its
biophysical and human dimensions together with the interactions and
feedbacks between them. Source:
http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/

International
Emission Trading.
The EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) is a cornerstone of the European
Union's policy to combat climate change and its key tool for reducing
industrial greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively. The first - and
still by far the biggest - international system for trading greenhouse gas
emission allowances, the EU ETS covers more than 11,000 power stations and
industrial plants in 31 countries, as well as airlines. Source:
http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/

Renewable
Energy. Renewable
energy is a socially and politically defined category of energy sources.
Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources
which are continually replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight,
wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy

Cows
and Methane Gas.
Are cows the cause of global warming? A cow does on average release
between 70 and 120 kg of Methane per year. Methane is a greenhouse gas
like carbon dioxide (CO2). But the negative effect on the climate of
Methane is 23 times higher than the effect of CO2. Therefore the release
of about 100 kg Methane per year for each cow is equivalent to about 2'300
kg CO2 per year. Source:
http://timeforchange.org/are-cows-cause-of-global-warming-meat-methane-CO2

While
endless discussions and numerous conferences take place to talk about the
reduction of carbon emissions, concrete results are yet to be seen. As
global citizens who care about our planet and its future, we need to do
something now.

Specifically, vote for world leaders that care about global climate and
political parties that address environmental care in their platforms.
Write your congressmen to take a more active posit on environmental
issues. Boycott multinationals that contribute to global warming. Refuse
to buy stocks of companies that are known to cause extensive carbon
emissions, however rewarding the dividends are. If you are the voice of
your community, it is time to start those conversations about carboon foot
prints. If you are a celebrity, use your fame and lend your name for
environmental causes.